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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has claimed that he will not return to the Eredivisie before retirement. Currently on national duty with the Dutch football team, the 33-year-old will play at his former team, Groningen's Euroborg Stadium, against Malta in the World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, June 10.
Ahead of the game, the Dutchman was asked questions about his retirement plans. Virgil van Dijk, who became the first Dutch captain to lead a team to the Premier League title, has ruled out the possibility of a potential return to Eredivisie before calling time on his illustrious career.
He told Voetbal International (via Tribal Football ):
"I am very clear about that: I will not return to the Netherlands. I started here, and that was very important to me. I am very clear that I do not want to return to the Eredivisie. I am quite proud of my career so far, and I think that finishing in the Eredivisie is not an option."
Coming through the academy at Willem II, the Dutchman made his professional debut for Groningen. Nevertheless, he has no desire to return to any of the two clubs. He made 66 appearances for Groningen's senior team before joining Scottish giants Celtic in 2013.
After two seasons in the Scottish Premiership, the defender joined Southampton in September 2015. The Dutchman later joined Liverpool for a then-world record fee of £75 million. Virgil van Dijk has won two Premier League titles, two EFL Cups, the FA Cup, the UEFA Champions League, the Super Cup, the FIFA Club World Cup and the Community Shield with Liverpool.
Liverpool to get an option to sign Real Madrid midfielder: Reports
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Real Madrid CF v Real Sociedad - La Liga EA Sports - Source: Getty
According to FourFourTwo, Liverpool can pursue Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni in the summer transfer window. The Frenchman joined Los Blancos from AS Monaco on a six-year deal for a reported transfer fee of £69 million plus add-ons in 2022.
However, Xabi Alonso is expected to prefer Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga and Trent Alexander-Arnold over the French defensive midfielder. According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, Aurelien Tchouameni could be offered to the Reds for £59 million.
Liverpool were interested in signing Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi last summer as they wanted a holding midfielder. However, Ryan Gravenberch has performed well as the Reds' new number six.
Signing a defensive midfielder is not the Merseyside outfit's biggest priority, but they can potentially look forward to capitalising on the opportunity.
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Shashank is a journalist at Sportskeeda covering European football since the past 2 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has also played the sport as a box-to-box midfielder and a full-back at national level, along with Tennis, Taekwondo and Boxing.
Shashank has been a Liverpool supporter since 2014 and had first stumbled upon the club after receiving a gift which had the words 'Liverpool FC' written on it. He has idolised Steven Gerrard over the years but his favorite football memory is the Reds' incredible comeback 4-0 win over Barcelona in the 2019 Champions League semis. He, unsurprisingly, also loves Jurgen Klopp's managerial style.
He strives to report 100% accurate content by going through several social media platforms, and prides himself on his above-average vocabulary and researching skills. In his career so far, Shashank has had the privilege of interviewing Indian national football team goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.
Shashank also follows the Indian Super League and the Eredivisie along with European Football. In his off time, he likes to do theatre, watch Tennis, and travel.
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Edited by Vaishnavi Iyer